Mode of and mechanism for forming underground conduits



(No Model.)

H. HOW$O N. MODE OF AND MECHANISM FOR FORMING UNDERGROUND (JONDUITS. No.291,849. Patented Jan. 8, 1884.

WITMESSES: J VEJY OR,

UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

VIN DETRICK, OF NEIIV YORK, N.

SPRINGFIELD, MAssAcHcsnTr Y., AND EPI-IRAI1\[ \\'ARI) BOXD, OF

MODE OF AND MECHANISM FOR FORMING UNDERGROUND CONDUITS.

SFECIFICATION form ingpart of Letters Patent No. 291,849,,Cated. January8, 1884.

Application filed November 26,188 (X mode 2'0 aZZ whom it may concern Beit known that I, HENRY Howsox, a citizen 0f the United States, residingin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in:the Mode of and Mechanism-for Forming Underground Conduits, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in forming in trenches conduitsof cement or other material, which soon'becomes set or hard, myimprovement being based on the plan described in the Patent No. 260,533,

- granted to-NV. M. Campbell, July 4, 1882,

bottom of the trench.

to which I will. briefly refer here in connection with the diagram,Figure 1, of the accompanying drawings in order that my improvement maybe more readilyunderstood.

A plate or base, A, of which a tube, A, formed a part, was placed on thebottom of a suitable trench, and cement, through a hopper, E, waspacked'by a plunger or piston, I), within the tube and round a series offormers, one former, It, only being shown in Fig. l; The plunger wasarranged to slide on the former, a reciprocating motion being impartedto the plunger by mechanism, which need not be explained. As the cementwas packed by the plunger, the plate A, with the tube, hopper, former,plunger, and mechanism for operating the same, retreated and left behinda cement conduit on the bottom of the trench.

The main object of my invention is to pack the cement more uniformlythan can be done by the reciprocating plunger shown in Camphells patent.

In carrying outmyinvention I avail myself of an old combination ofascrew, a casing, and

former, which may be found in tile-machines in which the screw forcesthe clay through an orifice at the end of a casing and round a former insaid oriiicc. ary, page 2570.)

In the operation of a tile-machine, however, the latter is fixed, andthe clay forced out of the casing, whereas in my method the ma= chinemoves, leaving the conduitbehind in the The mechanism, moreover,differs, as will be seen hereinafter, from introduced (See Knightsdiction- [that of a tile-machine which has been here 5c referred to asexhibiting the state of the art prior to'my invention.

Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings is a side view, mainly in section,and Fig. 3 a transverse section, of the machine which I prefer to use incarrying out my invention, Figs. 4 and 5 representing modifications.

A tube, A, Figs. 2 and 3, the interior of which determines the diameterof the ei'rterior of the conduit, is attached to or forms part of asuitable base, A, and communicating with this tube is a hopper, F.The'base'A is provided withsteadying-jianges ac x, as shown in Fig. 3.1A tubular screw-shaft, Gffittihg on the for n'er'B so as to turn freelythereon, has a bearing in anysuitable standard, H, secured to the baseA, the spiral rib or thread w of the serew-shaftbeing adapted to theinterior of the tube. A, so as to be rotated freely therein. The threadof the screw-shaft may be in sections, like the blades of a propeller,but the general character of the thread and its pitch will in a measuredepend upon that of the cement or concrete used. The former is in thisinstance secured to thestandard H, and the tubular shaft G is geared bybevel'wheels m and a to a vertical driving-shaft, P, which has itsbearing in the standard H, and which is provided with a hand-wheel, 1

1)itferent kinds of operating mechanism 80 will readily suggestthemselves 'to expert mechanics. V d

It is essential in all cases, however, whatever may be the character ofthe driving-gear, that the cntireinachine should be self con- 8 'tained,or, in other words, that the base should carry all the parts shown.Sometimes a conduit with a lining-tube is required, in which case thislining-tube becomes the formor round which the'eement is packed. Thus 0in Fig. 4 the tube 1 pusses through the tubular shaft (Jr, and, notbeing connected to the machine, is-lei't behind. in the conduit, ofwhichit forms a part. 1''

Another modification o1 the machine is 5 shown, Fig. 5, in which thescrew is formed on the shaft I5", which need not be tubular, anextension, b, of this shaft beyond the screw constituting the former,whichmoves back with the machine, the only diiference between the actionof this machine and that of the machineshown in Fig. 2 being that in onecase the former revolves in the packed cement, while in the other casethe former does not revolve. As the screw-shaft is turned the comentwill be packed by a continuous operation, the density of the packedcement depending upon the resistance which the machine presents to theaction of the screw.

I11 referring to cement, the term is intended to apply to any materialor composition which can be compressed into tubular form in the mannerdescribed.

1 claim as my invention- 1. The mode herein described of formingunderground conduits, the said mode consisting in the continuous packingof cement 20 round a former within a tube, which retreats as thecontinuous packing proceeds, substantially as set forth. 2. Aconduit-making machine in which the following elements are combined,namely: first, a base, A, tube A, and hopper communicating therewith;second, a shaft carried by the base, and having a spiral rib or screwthread adapted to the interior of the tube; third, a former round whichthe cement is packed; and", fourth, mechanism for operating the saidscrew-shaft, all substantially as set forth. I r

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification intheprcsenee of two sub scribing witnesses.

lll lNll Y HOWSON. \Vitnesses:

JonN 15. Pin-uncle, HENRY l'lowsox, Jr.

